Another NPA fighter surrenders to Army battalion

From the Manila Bulletin (Jun 25): Another NPA fighter surrenders to Army battalion

Another communist rebel surrendered to Army’s 81st Infantry Battalion last week at its headquarters at Sta. Cruz, Ilocos Sur.

The name of the said surrenderer was withheld pending the processing of his status.

Lt. Col. Eugenio Julio C. Osias IV, the commander of the 81st IB, said the former New People’s Army (NPA) fighter turned in a M1 Garand rifle.

Osias said the rebel is a member of the NPA’s Militiang Bayan (MB) that operates in the boundaries of Abra, Mountain Province and Ilocos Sur.

He is the eighth rebel to surrender to the 81st IB this year.

In an interview, he claimed that what drove enticed him to surrender was the help the former rebels received under the government’s Comprehensive Local Integration Program (CLIP) and the security that the 81st IB gave to the surrendering NPA cadres.

Major General Angelito M. De Leon, commander of the Army’s 7th Infantry Division said, “This is the time where the Army is gaining its momentum in yielding surrenderees with the help of the Government in reintegrating them back to the mainstream of society is much needed to sustain the trust. We will continue to help these former rebels to live in peace again.”

http://news.mb.com.ph/2017/06/25/another-npa-fighter-surrenders-to-army-battalion/